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The essential strategy guide on the consumerization of IT

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Consumer tech is now part of most companies' technology portfolios, raising questions for both IT and management. Here's InfoWorld's guide for making it all work

There may be someone in a dark corner of IT who hasn't heard about the consumerization of IT, that growing trend toward active user involvement and even control over aspects of the business's technology portfolio. By now, most of IT is aware -- sometimes painfully so. Also quite aware are business execs, who increasingly wave away IT's securty and control concerns as their users and customers swoon over iPads, social networking, cloud services, and the rest of the consumerization repertoire. They see employees who can do more in more places, and often they're discovering the joys personally.

But once the euphoria has passed, real questions remain about the consumerization phenomenon. Even when IT gets over loss of control, legitimate and complex questions about risk must be addressed. And businesspeople soon discover that freedom of technology can descend into chaos without a framework to guide its use.

The issue is not whether to adopt consumerization -- it'll happen on its own -- but how best to do so. That's why InfoWorld has produced the "Consumerization of IT Digital Spotlight," a PDF guide on the essential business factors, adoption strategies, and technology management options that both business execs and IT managers should understand.